Deixo uma entrevista, em inglês, sobre o facto da Biedronka ser o patrocinador oficial da selecção de futebol da Polónia.
" “Interview with Pedro Pereira da Silva, COO Jerónimo Martins
Mr. da Silva, why has Biedronka become the
official sponsor of the Polish national football team?
It is part
of our image-building policy. For years, Biedronka has been positioned as a
trusted member of local communities, and we wish to support a sport that
provides millions of Poles with positive emotions.
Our aim is
to be as near as possible to our customers and to participate in matters which
are of relevance to them.
To what extent are you likely to profit from
the European football championship in terms of increased sales?
Our
decision to become involved in the sponsorship was not taken with an eye to
increasing sales during EURO 2012, but for the reason that I just gave you.
Fair enough, but you can’t pretend that sales
won’t be affected positively by the games?
Certainly,
all retail chains will need to take into account a sudden inflow of masses of
foreign guests. However, we expect that this extra business will have a
relatively small impact on the annual sales of our own chain.
Don’t
forget that Biedronka has more than 1,900 stores and is present in over 750
Polish localities throughout the country, whereas the games will be held in
only four cities.
What marketing measures is Biedronka taking in
order to boost sales during the football period?
We have
been getting over our message of support for Polish football for many months –
both in TV spots and outdoor ads. As the championship approaches, we are doing
this increasingly strongly.
We also want
to make sure that the positive emotions connected with the football matches are
experienced by all Poles and not just by the residents of the cities where the
matches are to be held. That is why our guiding slogan runs: “WE ARE ALL THE
NATIONAL TEAM”.
Presumably you are stocking up on such impulse
items for the football period?
Naturally,
several lines will be in higher demand during the Euro 2012 period. The main
sales volume will come from what we call the “fan’s package”: soft drinks,
beer, crisps, salt sticks etc.
We shall
also expand our offer via several promotional campaigns connected with team
sponsorship, including unique products in both food and non-food.
Euro 2012 suddenly casts the spotlight of
international attention on Poland
As you
know, we built Biedronka from scratch. Our market leadership was attained by
our identification with the country. For instance, we are proud of the fact that
more than 90 per cent of our food sales come from products supplied by local
business partners.
Success is
also about having the necessary know-how, understanding the market, finding the
right medium- to long-term business partners, and adapting solutions to
consumer needs on the local market.
The
solution that we came up with, and which has proved very successful so far, was
to offer the best of Poland
